co-operative funeralcare are a disgrace

Errata

BLT wrote: »

Wow what an arbitrary judgement of all co-operative funeral directors based on one experience. If I go into M&S and have one bad experience should I then tell everyone that all M&S staff are disgusting?

That may be true, but buying a pair of knickers is hardly the same as burying a loved one.

lincroft1710

Sorry to hear of your loss. Unfortunately things sometimes go wrong and at such a time it is very distressing and there is really little excuse.

My own experience of a Co-op funeral service (in 2002) was positive. I also used an independent in 2005 and again there were no hitches.

Is it possible to get a friend or family member who are less emotionally involved to deal with the Co-op in this matter and avoid further upset to yourself.

Tiddlywinks

BLT wrote: »

Wow what an arbitrary judgement of all co-operative funeral directors based on one experience. If I go into M&S and have one bad experience should I then tell everyone that all M&S staff are disgusting?

Yes, branches of any business chain may perform at different levels BUT you could have chosen a more acceptable way of stating this fact. The OP is clearly upset by an appalling set of circumstances - why couldn't you have tried to empathise rather than point score?

Anniered - I hope you get the peace of mind that you seek from following up this complaint. If you save even one other family from going through such a terrible thing then you will have created some good from this awful time.

Best wishes

Tiddly

BLT_2

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Yes, branches of any business chain may perform at different levels BUT you could have chosen a more acceptable way of stating this fact. The OP is clearly upset by an appalling set of circumstances - why couldn't you have tried to empathise rather than point score?

Anniered - I hope you get the peace of mind that you seek from following up this complaint. If you save even one other family from going through such a terrible thing then you will have created some good from this awful time.

Best wishes

Tiddly

I didn't even realise we were going for points, was that a 3 pointer or a 2 pointer?

It was a simple view, was not an attack on the OP but merely an observation on the nature of the original statement. She has my sympathy and I hope she gets some recompense or comfort from any action she takes, but that does not detract from the fact that all Co-operative funeral directors are not disgusting.

Your serve

looby75

anniered, I'm so sorry to hear about your loss and the disgusting way you and your family were treated by this undertakers.

It's not clear in your op but have you contacted the co-op directly or just dealt with the fanchise that mishandled your mums funeral?

The only reason I ask is because my brother in law used the co-op funeral service when my sister died 5 years ago, like in your case the undertaker was actually a franchise. They handled the funeral brilliantly, they were very sensitive to the situation (My sister was only 26 and left behind a 4 year old daughter). The day went without a hitch and all of the families wishes were carried out.

The problems started afterwards when it came down to payment. SIL couldn't get life insurance because she had had a heart transplant 7 years earlier and BIL was finding it very difficult to find the money for the final payments, he was told before the funeral they would arrange a payment plan but then changed their minds. The level of calls and letters immediately after the funeral was disgusting it was like jekyll and hyde. They were rude, insensitive and down right nasty.

BIL complained to the co-op HO directly and not only did he receive a full and unreserved apology but they totally cancelled the final payment.

I hope you get some answers and that what happened to you won't ever happen to any other family.

Laz123

BLT wrote: »

I didn't even realise we were going for points, was that a 3 pointer or a 2 pointer?

It was a simple view, was not an attack on the OP but merely an observation on the nature of the original statement. She has my sympathy and I hope she gets some recompense or comfort from any action she takes, but that does not detract from the fact that all Co-operative funeral directors are not disgusting.

Your serve

Can you explain to me why you would take the time and trouble to post to a thread of which you don't have the capability of offering something constructive or positive.

Now, I'm a retired psychoanalist so I know a little of human nature. But here we have someone who is undergoing the grieving process, has lost a loved one, has suffered a trauma because of insensitive inefficiency, and all you can do is try and score points.

There's a few of you liked-minded things on these forums so why don't you go away, have a reflection on your sad life, and come back when you rejoin the human race.

Norant

Hello Anniered.


I do not know you or i have never met you,but that does not mean that i cannott sympathise for you.On possibly one of the blackest days of your life you were given a shocking level of service,totally abhorant.

I could not imagine how i would have felt on that day if it had happened to me,i offer you my condolences for the loss of your Mum,and i would say to you make sure that they are held accountable for a service that should have gone smoothly,that turned out to be a shocking disgrace.

I wish you all the best.

Equaliser123

Laz123 wrote: »

Can you explain to me why you would take the time and trouble to post to a thread of which you don't have the capability of offering something constructive or positive.

Now, I'm a retired psychoanalist so I know a little of human nature. But here we have someone who is undergoing the grieving process, has lost a loved one, has suffered a trauma because of insensitive inefficiency, and all you can do is try and score points.

There's a few of you liked-minded things on these forums so why don't you go away, have a reflection on your sad life, and come back when you rejoin the human race.

I think your post is unnecessarily rude. To be fair to BLT, a comment was made that a whole, multi-franchised business who (I believe) are the largest in their industry should not be criticised due to one extremely poor experience.

Feel free to disagree with BLT but you have gone way OTT in your response and do the OP no favours writing in terms like you have done.

Ivory_Tinkler

Equaliser123 wrote: »

I think your post is unnecessarily rude. To be fair to BLT, a comment was made that a whole, multi-franchised business who (I believe) are the largest in their industry should not be criticised due to one extremely poor experience.

Feel free to disagree with BLT but you have gone way OTT in your response and do the OP no favours writing in terms like you have done.

I think parts of Laz123's post were a little OTT but the sentiment was correct. To compare the OP's problem with M&S is crass to say the least. Having recently lost a parent and knowing how much planning went into the funeral, I would have been very upset too had such a thing happened to me. A funeral is the last possible thing you can do for a loved one and it just has to be right. It's upsetting enough on the day but to go through the whole process of following a hearse to a church/crem and then getting there to find that the funeral has been mucked up is dreadful.

Equaliser123

Ivory_Tinkler wrote: »

I think parts of Laz123's post were a little OTT but the sentiment was correct. To compare the OP's problem with M&S is crass to say the least. Having recently lost a parent and knowing how much planning went into the funeral, I would have been very upset too had such a thing happened to me. A funeral is the last possible thing you can do for a loved one and it just has to be right. It's upsetting enough on the day but to go through the whole process of following a hearse to a church/crem and then getting there to find that the funeral has been mucked up is dreadful.

I agree with you. However, I totally objected to Laz123's style of posting which has, unfortunately, detracted from comment about the OP's awful experience.

BLT was, I think, simply trying to make the point that not all of the co-op's undertakers give such poor service as the OP has endured.